Larie & Apekool BA | Brouwerij De Molen

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A - Tan foam settles to a wispy, partial cap, thick collar, and specks of lace. Very dark brown body. Seems a bit light for an 11% smoked Imperial Stout.

S - Super smokey, with honey-glazed meats, campfire, and light roast and oak rounding things out. Considering the ABV and smoked malts, this is surprisingly mellow, a pleasant change from some of the other De Molen stouts I've had recently.

T - The taste is a bit sweeter, with more sugar cookie, caramel, and light chocolate malt flavors. Barrel is pretty restrained, but a moderate level of smokiness persists; good balance and not overly boozy. Typical De Molen in the lack of roast and heavy brown malt emphasis; more fruity and nutty than your typical smoked stout.

D - I was advised to open this sooner rather than later, as there were some reports of 'off' bottles. I didn't notice any problems here, but I didn't try to the original draft release, so who knows? A solid smoked stout with fairly restrained barrel character; assuming it was bourbon? (N.B. Apparently it is Bourdeaux and bourbon; in any case, quite subtle.) Solid, but not a beer I'd actively seek out again.

Aroma has some clear barrel notes and a bit of smokiness. I don't know what types of barrels were used but the aroma indicates some peated scotch. But it may be only from the smoked malts. The taste doesn't have that smokiness, only some barrel character and a bit of chocolate. Balanced and easy drinking. Alcohol is not present in the taste or aroma. Another good one from De Molen.

330ml bottle 11,0% Abv.
Served chilled in a snifter.
Bottled on: 9 July 2013
Good for 10 years.

According to Google translate 'Larie & Apekool' translates into 'Poppycock'; however I did find one website that translated it to the phase "Nonsens & Fraudulent Buffoonery". It this is in fact a correct translation, this is the coolest name for a beer ever!

Appearance: Larie & Apekool appears pitch black in the glass, however a back light reveals a generous slice of deep red along the edge of the glass. A rough pour yields a small tan coloured head that fades to a thin cap that lasts most of the way down. A swirl results in thin alcohol legs clinging to the the glass.

Smell: The initial nose offers a fantastic combination of sweet chocolate and mellow whiskey. The chocolate however soon fades into the back ground allowing some of Hemel & Aarde's trademark earthy peat smoke to become apparent; alongside notes of caramel, vanilla, oak, a little liquorice and some sweet cherry notes. There is a little alcohol noted as the beer approaches room temperature.

Taste: The flavour is far more mellow than I expected from a De Molen RIS. There is some roasted malt and a fair amount of bitterness in the finish, but it is nothing like the typically harsh roasted/charred character that usually characterizes their stouts. Other notes include: Mellow whiskey, mellow vanilla, oak, a nutty character, some earthy smoked malt, underlying sweetness, sweet cherries, a little caramel and a little alcohol on the swallow.

Mouthfeel: The body is medium-full and nicely chew, while the carbonation is of a low level and fantastically smooth.

Overall: Larie & Apekool is probably the best beer from De Molen I have had this year. I really wish I had bought a few extra bottles.